“I have never accused him of harassment”, reacts the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra

The Minister of Sports affirmed, Wednesday March 1 on RTL, that she had no “never accused of harassment” the former president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noël Le Graët. The latter, who announced his resignation on Tuesday, said he was going to file a complaint against Amélie Oudéa-Castéra for defamation. “I find it distressing, I never insulted anyone, I remained polite”she replied, recalling that a preliminary investigation had been opened for acts of moral and sexual harassment against the president of the FFF.

“We did an in-depth work over four months, respecting the contradictions of each of the parties, clarified Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. I will not allow the quality of the work that has been done to be denigrated.” The lawyers of Noël Le Graët wish to challenge the report of the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) which was delivered in mid-February. “It is the prosecutor who has decided sovereignly to open an investigation for acts of moral and sexual harassment” on the basis of this inspection report, recalled the minister.

“The mission [d’inspection] evokes remarks and SMS emanating from Noël Le Graët, ambiguous for some, and of a clearly sexual nature for others, she insisted. I never called him a stalker.” “This defense strategy does not fool many people”she added, while the president of the FFF claims to be the victim of a “well-organized political-media cabal”.